“As you know, the voters of Austin narrowly voted against the housing bonds last fall – not out of spite, or malice or unkindness,” said Marshall Jones with the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition.

“But they simply did not know how the money would be used," Jones continued. "We did not do our job as a community explaining how the affordable housing bonds would keep Austin affordable and transform lives.”

Advocates say you will not see any billboards or a glitzy media campaign. They’ve instead chosen to put more boots on the ground to speak to voters one-on-one.

Last November, housing advocates were seeking a little over $78 million. This time the request will be more modest, between $60 million and $70 million. The council will decide this summer whether the measure even makes it to the ballot.

The City Council adopted the Downtown Austin Plan in late 2011. With it, the council OK’d what’s called the Downtown Density Bonus Program. It basically says that developers who want to build more densely than the standards allow would have to offer certain community benefits: things like on-site affordable housing or a paying into a fund for affordable housing elsewhere.

But nearly a year and a half later, Austin’s still waiting on specific guidelines for the Density Bonus Program.